U.S. says Russia may have violated missile treaty

Jan. 30, 2014 - 04:10PM
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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is concerned that Russia may have violated a key arms control treaty by testing a ground-launched cruise missile.

The State Department said Thursday the concerns have been raised with Russian authorities and shared with NATO allies. However, department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it has not yet been determined whether the Russian activity, which dates back to 2008, is an actual violation of a 1987 treaty banning medium range missiles.

Psaki said the U.S. takes treaty compliance “very seriously” and that an intensive interagency review is now underway to decide how to proceed. The New York Times reported on Friday that the Russians have told the U.S. they have looked into the matter and believe the case to be closed.